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I've been looking to find an answer, but I can't find anything on it. There is nothing concrete. Can I just purchase it? Is it RX? Is it illegal?

And a side question, are all those online pharmacies legit? Seems all very shady (i'm not talking about specific sources, just the general idea of online pharmacies). Can people actually purchase recreational drugs from them?

Tramadol is a Schedule F substance under the Food and Drugs Regulations in Canada. It has not (yet) been scheduled in the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, surprisingly. There was a recommendation in 2007 that tramadol be put on Schedule 1 of the CDSA, but this has not been acted on.

You can find this recommendation in the Gazette, here (I'm not making the link live because it is on a government server):
http://www.gazette.gc.ca/archives/p1/2007/2007-07-07/html/reg1-eng.html

You can find the CDSA here:
https://drugs-forum.com/forum/local_links.phpaction=ratelink&catid=15&linkid=115 66

As a schedule F substance, tramadol can only be sold to someone with prescription but there is nothing criminal about possessing it.

I have no views about online pharmacies in general, but i would think it is always best to get medications from a good local pharmacy with a prescription from your doctor.